Princess Maxima of the Netherlands

On Friday, Dutch Crown Princess Maxima inaugurated two exhibitions at the Loo Palace in Apeldoorn. The first exhibit was about handheld fans, and the second showed miniature portraits. Both displays were about the Netherlands’ royal house of Orange-Nassau. The first exposition, “Beauty Unfolded: Royal Palace Het Loo in Fans” showcased all types of handheld fans, which until the mid-20th century were part of Dutch court etiquette. The collection includes some fans used by Queen Wilhelmina, the grandmother of the current Queen Beatrix. Crown Princess Maxima had a chance to laugh when she saw one fan that showed the faces of her three young daughters. ... Read Full Story

Crown Princess Maxima added another title to her long list yesterday. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon named her the U.N. Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development. She will be Ban’s representative on making financial development available to third world countries. Reuters In those countries, many are unable to take out a loan or even open a bank account. The U.N. is focused on changing that. A former banker, Maxima has been a member of a U.N. board for microfinance and an accessible financial sector for a few years now, and this position displays how she is well trusted with these kinds of ... Read Full Story

Dag.nl Friday was a more somber day for the Crown Princely couple of the Netherlands during their week long visit to New York. Yesterday was the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and Willem-Alexander and Maxima took the time to remember those who were killed. The royal couple attended the memorial ceremony at Ground Zero, along with Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime, Verhagen. They bowed their heads in silence at 8:46am and 9:03 am, the times when the two planes hit the towers. Crown Princess Maxima once lived in New York City for five years, and knew some of the people who witnessed the ... Read Full Story

Reuters FILE Last night, the youngest daughter of the Netherlands’ Crown Princely couple, was hospitalized with respiratory infection. Princess Ariane stayed overnight with her mother, Crown Princess Maxima, by her side. She was released Friday morning. The 2 year-old has had respiratory problems in the past. A month after she was born in April 2007, the little princess was admitted to Leiden University Medical Center for a lung infection. Ariane spent four days there while being treated for viral and bacterial infections. Because of her daughter’s hospital stay, Crown Princess Maxima did not attend the opening of “The Qi of China” exhibition at the ... Read Full Story

Crown Princess Maxima spent her second officialy day in New York baptizing Holland’s newest tulip. AP/Mary Altaffer The tulip, which is of an orange color, was named the “Henry Hudson” after the explorer who discovered the river and bay that surrounds New York. His discovery led to the Dutch colonization of the area. Maxima planted the tulip bulbs in a box in Battery Park, which was once the fort that surrounded New Amsterdam. She then poured water from a champagne glass after giving the flower its name. The tulip will be officially and permanently listed in the International Register of Tulips of the Dutch ... Read Full Story